loud hob overflow

[sir_dudeguy]

well the title says it all..i just got my overflow up and running, and its pretty noisy. Its the type with the U-tube. Its actually got 2 bulkheads in it for more flow, but i've blocked one off so that it does less. Anyways, how do i quiet it down a bit? Its like a loud toilet/gurgle noise. Is there a lid i can put on it to muffle the noise? i dont know the brand of it tho srry...it was a freebie.

any help is appreciated, and if i left any important info out, let me know.

mike

[Abysswater]

To quiet them down get some round sponge and put them over each bulkhead pipe. Or you can put a piece of small tubing thru the sponge just above the pipe end and it will break the vortex action. It a cheap way of doing this. Or you can make a stockmen pipe type drain.

[sir_dudeguy]

thanks for the quick reply

i've got the sponge on there now...doesnt really do anything.

but you have given me an idea...i'll draw it up real quick on paint and then post it.

[sir_dudeguy]

ok so heres what its like right now...well as close as i could get it :)

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/Tank%20Pics/overflow1.jpg

the water just fills up the overflow part on the right untill its high enough to flow into the bulkhead. The u-tube about half over the bulkhead, half over the compartment around the bulkhead...so about half the water goes directly into the bulkhead

should i try doing something like this?

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i295/sir_dudeguy/Tank%20Pics/overflow2.jpg

make it so that the water goes directly into that bulkhead, so that it doesnt have to fill up high enough, and then flush down? (which i think is whats making the noise...but i cant really tell)

thanks
mike

[sir_dudeguy]

ok scratch that idea...it didnt work. I attached a flex pvc around it, but i just couldnt get the siphon going. well i'd get it going, but for some reason it would be pulling in air and wouldnt continue (it actually did continue, and it was quiet, but every 8 seconds the air in it would build up and there would be a loud gurgle...overall it didnt work)

[trendle]

Now I am new at this hobby and don't have an overflow.

I would guess however that your flow isn't enough. If it is loud then the drain is keeping the drain side pretty low right? Maybe increase the return flow from your sump so that more water is going over the overflow, thus more water in the drain side. I would think it would be quieter with a higher water level.

[sjm817]

Does the overflow have a baffle in the drain side? If not, the drain height MUST BE higher than the bottom of the U Tube, or you wont maintain siphon after a power down. The U Tube and the bulkhead are not supposed to line up, they should overlap. If it is noisy, you can add a Stockman standpipe.

[sir_dudeguy]

yes i was thinking that the flow might not be enough too. I will try to get another small return pump and see what happens. The opening on the bulkhead is 1.5 inches...does anyone know how many gph that is capable of?

but no...theres no baffle on the drain side of the overflow...it looks just like the one from above picture.

[sjm817]

You need a standpipe to raise the drain. It has to be higher than the bottom of the U Tube.

[Avi]

Right....I had the same problem when I first set up my reef and so I made a Stockman standpipe for each of them and it immediately...and completely...silences the overflows. Take a look here:

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/standpipe/standpipe-ken_stockman.htm

I did find that the size of the hole on the cap on the top of the standpipe is critical. In my case ONLY a 3/32nd-inch hole completely silenced the overflows. I guess that depending on the configuration of individual systems may make the necessary size hole one size or another so some experimentation may be needed for you to get the overflows silent.

[sir_dudeguy]

hey thanks!

so this standpipe....is that the part that sticks up into the overflow? (the part on the right in my pics) I know theres the bulkhead, but then theres a little piece of pvc that the guy i got it from may have put there...its glued pretty good tho so it looks almost factory..idk.

And do you know of any other pics of what the standpipe looks like as a whole (with everything else in the pic)

one more...do i have to take the U-tube and put it off to the side of the bulkhead opening? if theres a standpipe, i would think it would have to be to the side.

thanks again, and more pics would be great (explainations are great too...but i get the idea more w/pics :) )

[sjm817]

There ***MUST BE*** a standpipe in the bulkhead that is tall enough to be higher than the bottom of the U Tube. Yes, the U Tube is off to the side. If there is no standpipe, you will lose siphon when he power is off and will flood your house. When you turn the power off, the U Tube must remain full of water. Both ends of the U Tube MUST be submerged when power is off.

[sir_dudeguy]

gotcha! whats that pad thing for then? in all the pics i see, its going around the U tube too lol..so do i just put that around the bulkhead/standpipe?

[sjm817]

The pad thing is a prefilter? If so, it goes on the standpipe.

[Avi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7973002#post7973002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sir_dudeguy
so this standpipe....is that the part that sticks up into the overflow? (the part on the right in my pics)

The standpipe goes into the "hole" at the bottom of the overflow where the arrow pointing down in your drawing is. Maybe this will help you conceptualize...it's really easy once you do.

http://www.rl180reef.com/180/pages/standpipe/mods/stockman.htm

The pad, in my experience, is totally superfluous and I wouldn't bother using it.

[GlobaLPimP]

Try adjusting the flex hose on the bottom of your outside overflow box - put a band in it or straighten it. This worked for me. Also, try adjusting the leveling screw between the aquarium and the outside overflow box. Good luck!

[sir_dudeguy]

global pimp

ya i did that one first just before i posted...i just pulled the flex hose to the..left i think lol...and it made it a little quieter, but still a rushing water noise. i'll try adjusting the level too.

avi thanks a bunch. I'm gonna try and make one, but how much does the stuff cost? i'm guessing around 10?

[AZDesertRat]

http://home.nc.rr.com/stockmanreef/

[sir_dudeguy]

thanks!

[Avi]

Yeah...I think it cost me about $9 or $10 for each of the Stockman standpipes that I built. It is a cheap and easy fix. I see that on the top of the illustrations in the site the Desert Rat posted they have a piece of airline tubing with a valve attached. That would be handy instead of having to drill holes of different sizes on some caps. Just open or close the valve until it reaches the "sweet and silent" spot.

Also, once the standpipes do what they're supposed to do for you, IF you have noise in the hosing going down from the overflow to the sump, just post...there are fixes for that too.

[sir_dudeguy]

ok thanks

and yes i do have a little bit of noise in the sump i think...but i cant really tell...it might just be the overflow making so much noise that i cant tell if there really is noise in the sump.

I've heard that you can make the water come in at a 45 degree angle...that didnt work for me

[Avi]

Here's the simple one that really worked for me....it's a modification on the 45-degree angle idea:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/Avrumeleh/sumpsilencerPAINT.jpg

[sir_dudeguy]

wait...so larger pipes makes it go slower? And the part on the thing on the right is just an opening for bubbles to go up?

[Avi]

That's the idea. It's made from PVC parts available at Home Depot and other places that sell that kind of stuff. I put them together without gluing in this instance. It worked in my case and I no longer have any of that flushing, belching kind of noise at all.

[sir_dudeguy]

cool. do you know if harbor and freights would sell pvc? they might be too small for that stuff, but they're like right next door to me basically lol.

[Avi]

I live on the east coast and maybe that's why I never even heard of Harbor and Freights. Well, maybe in Arizona, they don't have Home Depot. It's a big country.

[sir_dudeguy]

oh ya duh lol. didnt even think of that srry :)

pretty sure they're not just in az, but they might not be east coast either...who knows lol.

there is home depots here, just i live about 10 minutes from the closest one, and about 1 minute from H&F, so i'll check them out after school tomorrow.

[kstockman]

drill a 3/8" hole in the top of the end cap and put a piece of 3/8" PVC tubing in the hole--maybe 24" piece--just far enough so that it stays in the hole and not into the water on the interior of the pipe. I have sold about 800 with this modification and have only had 2-3 people not get their tanks silent.

cheers
ken